Matrix controlled numeral display



1965 SHUNSAKU NAKAUCH] 3,

MATRIX CONTROLLED NUMERAL DISPLAY Filed July 27, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fi 1 Fi 2 H A a a A A D 5 d m 4 H/ J INVENTOR SH U NSA KU NA KAUCHI ATTORNEY 31, 1965 SHUNSAKU NAKAUCH] 3,204,234

MATRIX CONTROLLED NUMERAL DISPLAY Filed July 27, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 XX XXX X XX XXXX XXX 3XX1 X XX XXX XX XX X XX XX XX INVENTOR SHUNSAKU NAKAUCHI ATTORNEY Aug- 31, 1965 SHUNSAKU NAKAUCHI 3,204,234

MATRIX CONTROLLED NUMERAL DISPLAY Filed July 27, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 N \l N N; l\ no Q A INVENT OR SHUNSAKU NAKAUCHI ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,204,234 MATRIX CONTROLLED NUMElRAL DISPLAY Shunsalru Nakauchi, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Tohoku Oki Electric Company Limited, Gaza-Sasagino, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed July 27, 1962, Ser. No. 212,969 Claims priority, application Japan, Aug. 8, 1961, 36/ 27,949 1 Claim. (Cl. 340-336) This invention relates to indicating apparatus.

In the conventional indicating apparatus using lamps, the lamps to be lighted are selected by the combination of relay contacts. In such systems, expensive special relays are required, the wiring is complicated and the life of the contact is not adapted to such apparatus carrying out many switchings as a time indicating apparatus.

The present invention relates more particularly to an indicating apparatus wherein matrix-shaped vertical or horizontal lines are connected to respective component elements of indicated letters and the horizontal or vertical lines being part of control circuits in charge of the respective indicated letters, are connected with the vertical or horizontal lines having, the respective elements forming the indicated letters of which said horizontal or vertical lines being in charge through unidirectional circuit elements.

An object of the present invention is to provide an indicating apparatus of which the circuit is simple, the life is long and the maintenance is easy.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital indicating clock and a digit or letter indicating apparatus in which, as circuits having no movable Parts are used, a print-wiring can be made.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side view, partially in section, showing an embodiment of the indicating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an elevation of FIGURE 1 with the glass pane and bezel removed, showing the component elements of the respective digits of 1, 2, 3-9 and 0.

FIGURE 3 is a view of the digit of 3 as formed of the component elements indicating the digits of 1, 2, 3, 9 and 0 shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the digit of 7 as formed of the component elements shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a circuit diagram for the indicating apparatus according to the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a modification of the circuit diagram for the indicating apparatus according to the present invention.

With reference to the drawings, slots of component elements A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, I and K indicating digits 1, 2, 3 9 and 0 are made in a stencil plate 11. Electric bulbs a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j and k mounted on a common base 10 are arranged substantially in the middles of said slots A, B, C, I and K, respectively, at the back surface of said plate 11. A diaphragm 12 to prevent leakage of light is provided between the respective bulbs. Each bulb is connected with a contact piece 13 connected to a housing 14 in which the later mentioned matrix circuit is print-wired. A frame or bezel 16 is fitted to the front surface of the plate 11 and secures a frosted or stained glass pane in surf-ace contact with and over plate 11.

Therefore, if the electric current is controlled with the later mentioned matrix circuit, only the desired bulbs will be lighted. For example, if only the bulbs a, a, d, g, j, k and k are lighted, as shown in FIGURE 3, only the grooves A, A, D, G, I, K and K will receive light from the rear surface thereof and will be therefore projected on the glass 15 in the front and the digit 3 will be able to 'be seen from the outside.

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In the same manner, if only the bulbs a: a, b and i are lighted, only the grooves A, A, D and I will receive light from the rear surface thereof and therefore the digit of 7 will be shown on the glass pane 15 in the front.

The circuit used for the indicating apparatus of the present invention will now be explained. With reference to FIGURE 5, vertical conductors and horizontal conduct-ors insulated from each other are arranged in the form of a matrix. Each of the vertical conductors a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j and k is connected to one contact of each of electric bul-bs a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j and k. The other contact of the bulb is earthed. On the other hand, the horizontal lines are control circuits in charge of indicated letters. In this embodiment, as shown with 0, l, 2 9 at the left ends of the horizontal conductors, the horizontal conductors are in charge of the indicated digits of 0, 1, 2, 9 in turn from the above analysis. As the component elements of the digit of 0 are grooves A, A, E, J, K, K, H and B as will be clear from inspection of FIGURE 2, the vertical lines a, b, e, h, j and k are connected with the horizontal line in charge of the digit of 0 through such unidirectional circuit elements as, for example, diodes or selenium rectifiers. As the component elements of the digit of l are C and I, the vertical lines 0 and i may be connected with the horizontal line in charge of the digit 1 through diodes or selenium rectifiers. In the same manner, the vertical lines connected to the elements forming any indicated digit are connected with the horizontal line in charge of the indicated digit through diodes or selenium rectifiers. Then, if the positive pole of an electric source whose negative pole is earthed is connected to the horizontal line in charge of any digit to be indicated, an electric current will flow through the component elements through the diodes and the desired digit will be indicated.

The circuit shown in FIGURE 6 is for operating the indicating apparatus according to the present invention by converting binary signs into decimal signs and has four switches 17 and four transitors 18 acting for relays. It is as already known to connect a binary-decimal converting matrix circuit X to said circuit. It is the same as is explained above that the output of the matrix circuit X will enter the matrix circuit Y according to the present invention, will become a decimal output and will be connected to an electric bulb L through a transistor amplifying circuit Z. The transistor amplifying circuit will be required in order to eliminate the reduction of the output current in case the indicating apparatus is in a remote place. Therefore, needless to say, it will not be required in case the apparatus is in a near place.

Though the case of indicating digits with the apparatus of the present invention has been explained in the above, the present invention is not limited to only the indication of digits but can be applied to any other proper letters without deviating from the spirit of the present invention. Further, it is needless to say that, even if the vertical lines of the matrix circuits are connected to the control circuits of the indicated letters and the horizontal lines are connected to the component elements of the indicated letters, the above explanation will be able to be applied as it is. For the directional circuit element, there can be used not only a diode but also a lamina of selenium by holding both surfaces with print-wired base plates. Thereby the directional circuit elements can be cheaply and easily obtained.

In the claim, the terms vertical and horizontal are for convenience in defining the invention as viewed upon FIGURE 5, and are not to be taken as limiting the circuitry to any particular position with respect to the vertical and horizontal since, obviously, only the rectifier connections between each conductor 0, 1, 2 etc., and selected conductors a, b, c, etc, are critical.

A coplanar indicator device comprising a stencil platehaving formed therein a rectangle having each side defined by a pair of spaced aligned slots, one of said slots having a leg aligned with the slots of an adjacent side to form a corner, pairs of spaced aligned slots along the perpendicular bisectors of each side, and a diagonal slot along a line joining the intersection of the perpendicular bisectors and a corner of the rectangle, the aforementioned corners being at the opposite ends of the same side of the rectangle, light bulbs supported adjacent each slot, means for preventing leakage of light from each bulb to an adjacent slot, and means for simultaneously lighting selected bulbs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Blades 40-13O Andre et a1 340166 Vozza 340378 Rieth 340--336 X Blutman et al 340-336 X Reynolds 340338 Mathis 340336 Sinninger 340-324 NEIL C. READ, Primary Examiner. JEROME SCHNALL, Examiner. 

